"The Fort Smith metro's most ambitious steakhouse sits across the Oklahoma line, surf and turf included. Book it for a team dinner."
About Seven Ponies
Five cuts of steak, a surf and turf pairing a five-ounce filet with a six-ounce lobster tail, and a 20-ounce tomahawk pork chop. Seven Ponies is the Choctaw Nation's upscale dining room at Choctaw Casino & Resort in Pocola, Oklahoma, a short drive across the state line from downtown Fort Smith, and since the menu was rebuilt in September 2023 it has fielded the widest beef program in the metro. Steaks run $45 to $55; most other entrées land near $25 and arrive with a family-style side.
The Kitchen
No chef's name hangs on the door; the kitchen answers to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma's hospitality operation, which runs dining rooms across eight casino properties and relaunched this menu on September 7, 2023. The card reads as Southern comfort recalibrated for a steakhouse: hot pimento cheese dip and tuna poke to start, a French onion soup, then the beef program of five cuts plus the surf and turf. The sleeper order is the chicken and waffles with butter and sorghum, and the 20-ounce tomahawk pork chop is the table's centerpiece. Sides come family-style (three-cheese mac and cheese, garlic parmesan fries, sautéed button mushrooms) and the bar runs three house cocktails, including an Old Fashioned built on Knob Creek. Dessert means strawberry swirl cheesecake or the banana trifle pudding. It is casino cooking at its most disciplined, measured against the steakhouse canon rather than the buffet line it replaced.
The Room
The room sits inside the resort, a few steps from the gaming floor, and the contrast is the point: low dinner-house lighting, unhurried table service and a noise level that lets a table of eight actually talk. Reviewers consistently call it the polished corner of the property, and the short dinner-only week concentrates the service. Dress is come-as-you-are, this is Oklahoma casino country, but the plating and pacing read as an occasion all the same.
Best for a Team Dinner
Book Seven Ponies for a team dinner because the format was built for groups: family-style sides land in the middle of the table, the surf and turf gives the big spender a lane, and the $25 entrée tier keeps the spread defensible on an expense report. Reservations go through one phone line (580-898-3609), so a single call locks the table, and the resort means out-of-town colleagues sleep where they ate. Compare the in-town options on the Fort Smith dining guide and the wider team-dinner shortlist first.
Not for
Not for early-week plans or a smoke-free route in: the dining room keeps a short dinner-only week, and you reach it through a casino where smoking is permitted.
Frequently Asked
Is Seven Ponies worth the drive from Fort Smith?
Yes, if the night calls for steak with table service rather than a downtown bar crowd. The drive from central Fort Smith to Pocola runs about ten to fifteen minutes, and the payoff is the metro's widest beef program: five cuts, the filet-and-lobster surf and turf, and a tomahawk pork chop no room in town matches. For the in-town counterargument, start with Doe's Eat Place.
How do I reserve a table at Seven Ponies?
Call 580-898-3609; there is no online booking. The room keeps a short, dinner-only week centred on Thursday through the weekend, with hours that shift by season, so confirm by phone before driving out. Weekend prime times around concert and event nights at the casino fill first; call a few days ahead if your dinner is tied to a show.
What does dinner at Seven Ponies cost?
Steaks run $45 to $55 by recent diners' accounts, while most non-steak entrées sit near $25, and entrées come with a family-style side under the 2023 menu. A table of four can eat well for under $150 before drinks if it stays off the beef, or push past $300 with steaks and a round of the Knob Creek Old Fashioneds.
What should I order at Seven Ponies?
The surf and turf, a five-ounce filet with a six-ounce lobster tail, is the signature. The 20-ounce tomahawk pork chop is the showpiece for sharing, the chicken and waffles with butter and sorghum is the menu's best Southern idea, and the tuna poke makes a lighter start than the pimento cheese dip. Finish with the banana trifle pudding. For what makes any of it hold up, see the seven signs of a great restaurant.
Is Seven Ponies good for a special occasion?
Yes; by Fort Smith metro standards it is the dressed-up option, with unhurried pacing, a proper cocktail list and the casino's energy outside the door for afterward. Birthdays and deal-closing dinners fit naturally, and a room upstairs covers the night if it runs long. For a quieter, wine-led alternative, see Stonehouse at Chaffee Crossing.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Seven Ponies
Phone only; no online reservations.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
Address3400 Choctaw Rd, Pocola, OK 74902
NeighbourhoodPocola, OK
CuisineSteakhouse
PriceSteaks $45–$55; most other entrées about $25
Dress CodeCome as you are
SeatingDining-room tables; groups welcome
ReservationPhone only · 580-898-3609
